Operated by monks for many centuries, the light is now electric after having burned coal, whale oil, paraffin and gas, and presently it uses a Fresnel lens. The monks left in the 16th century and it is reputed that a fire beacon existed close to the site from as early as the 5th century by the first monks to settle the peninsula. The lighthouse is now fully automatic meaning there are no lighthouse keepers.
To clarify, the Tower of Hercules - an impressive 18th century structures stands on the site of an ancient Roman lighthouse in northwest Spain, it is the oldest site of a lighthouse still in use but Hook Lighthouse is the oldest building still in use as a lighthouse.
The distinctive black and white bands of the 800 year old tower are visible for some distance as it stands 35m proud of the sloping sedimentary rocks that dip gently into the ocean.
I took this panoramic image from the ocean's edge of Hook Lighthouse on a sunny day with calm movement in the water.
